A new study shows that long-acting prescription opioids (LAOs) not only increase the risk of unintentional overdose deaths, but also increase mortality from heart-related and other causes of death.
In other words, we’ve put a lot of attention on the potential for opioid overdoses, without…

Since Colorado made recreational legal marijuana in 2012, the number of kids requiring hospital admission from accidental exposure to the drug has doubled.
Admissions at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora because of unintentional exposure to marijuana rose from 1.2 visits per 100,000 kids two…

It’s rare to find a person these days who hasn’t had to have at least one tooth extracted by a dentist.
Although bad teeth eaten away by decay are rare these days, 85 percent of Americans have their wisdom teeth surgically extracted by dentists all over the world – millions of them every…

Just weeks after the Senate passed the historic Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 94-to-1, Congress has again demonstrated broad bipartisan support for the battle against America's opioid epidemic.
And then just a few weeks ago, House lawmakers…

A Utah mom puts some of her methadone in a Gatorade bottle, then forgets it contains methadone and pours some into a sippy cup for her three kids including her 2-year-old son. After he passes out she calls 911. The two older kids are saved at the ER. But it's too late for the 2-year-old.
Charge:…

Pharmaceutical companies that make abuse-deterrent opioid painkillers have received the final word from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the types of studies and evaluations required to win official "drug-deterrent" approval.
The drug companies were first made aware two years ago that…

Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to activate the brain’s pain-relieving mechanism using nothing but light.
Although the research is in the very, very early stages, the scientists say that some day in the future, doctors might be able to…

A troubled Marine who overdosed and died in a VA psych ward is only one of many cases of overdose in recent years. But the VA assured the Senate committee in March that the rampant opioid prescribing has begun to ease off and other measures are being taken.
The Veteran’s Affairs has come under…

DEA Issues Nationwide Public Health Warning About Fentanyl and Fentanyl-laced Heroin
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a "nationwide alert" about the growing threat to public health of the opioid painkiller fentanyl. The warning comes because of a recent surge in…

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OPIATE DRUGS, OPIOID DRUGS, ENDORPHINS AND ENDOPHIN DOWNLOADS
Before understanding how buprenorphine, an opioid, works, it is necessary to understand the way that all opioids and opiates work in our bodies.
OPIATE DEFINITION
An opiate is a…